› added 7 years ago

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TIL J. Paul Getty refused to pay for his grandson’s ransom. When an ear arrived by mail and the kidnappers lowered the sum to $3m instead of $17m, he agreed to pay only $2.2 million - the maximum amount that would be tax deductible. He lent his son the remaining $800.000, at a 4% interest.

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Rlw TIL there was a planned sequel to the 1997 Batman & Robin, with Nicholas Cage considered to play Scarecrow.
ng7d TIL the phenomenon of “island gigantism”, in which the size of animals isolated on an island increases dramatically in comparison to their mainland counterparts.
4d86 TIL in the 2004 exercise between the US and the Indian Air Forces, Indian pilots notched up an astounding 9:1 kill ratio. U.S. pilots said that the Indian pilots showed innovation and flexibility in their tactics. and that they came into the exercise underrating the training and tactics of the IAF
gMkbL TIL that growing up as a hungry child, Cristiano Ronaldo would knock on the door of a McDonald's asking if they had any burgers. A lady called Edna and two other women would then help him by giving him something to eat.
XE8eD TIL that Morse code is officially considered obsolete and was removed as an international standard for communication in 1999. The French Navy's last Morse message read; "Calling all. This is our last cry before our eternal silence."